Arrangement for recooling cooling water

ABSTRACT

The arrangement ( 1 ) comprises distributor pipes ( 6 ) that are supported by horizontal bars ( 3 ) and have downwardly directed spray nozzles ( 16 ) and mist collectors ( 8 ). The bars ( 3 ) are provided with bearing points ( 5 ) that are open toward the top and extend across the entire lengths thereof for the integration of the distributor pipes ( 6 ). Two consecutive bearing points ( 5 ) each in the longitudinal direction of the bars ( 3 ) are separated from each other by means of a support ( 7 ) for the mist collectors ( 8 ). Beneath the bars ( 3 ), multi-layer dripping installations ( 13 ) are provided, against which cooling air blows.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/DE2009/000255, filed Feb. 20, 2009, which designated the United States and has been published as International Publication No. WO 2009/112007 and which claims the priority of German Patent Application, Serial No. 10 2008 014 017.1, filed Mar. 13, 2008, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an arrangement for recooling cooling water.

Such an arrangement includes distributor pipes which are supported by horizontal bars and acted upon by cooling water which has a temperature between about 20° C. and 60° C. and which has downwardly directed spray nozzles and mist collectors. The distributor pipes form jointly with the mist collectors, provided above the distributor pipes, and the dripping installations, arranged below the distributor pipe and configured in the shape of, for example, thin-walled sheets or lattices, a component of a recooling unit in a wet or hybrid cooling tower, wherein cooling water issuing out via the spray nozzles from the distributor pipes is dispersed in a thinnest possible layer upon the dripping installations which are acted upon by a natural air ventilation or forced ventilation by means of, for example, fans. Cooling water dropping from the dripping installations and recooled by air is collected on the bottom of the cooling tower to then assume its cooling task again. The mist collectors located above the distributor pipes have the task to separate water droplets from water vapor flowing upwards so as to minimize a vapor cloud withdrawal at a cooling tower top.

The support frame for the dripping installations, the distributor pipes, and the mist collectors is normally formed by vertical posts and horizontal bars. The posts and bars can be made of concrete, fiber-reinforced plastics, in particular glass fiber-reinforced plastics (GFRP), or wood. Steel constructions are possible. While the mist collectors formed of several surface segments are arranged directly on the bars, the distributor pipes are located below the bars. Thus, the use of appropriate hoists is required when mounting the distributor pipes, in order to shift them underneath the bars and then to secure them with tightening straps or clamps. Considering the cross sectional dimensions of a cooling tower and the need to hold the distributor pipes at several suspension points, the assembly becomes very labor-intensive. Moreover, the distributor pipes can only be installed consecutively because of their limited length so that the provision of a plurality of coupling sites is required. In addition, coupling requires also a horizontal shift of the suspended distributor pipe.

The multilayered dripping installations below the distributor pipes which are provided with the spray nozzles are aligned in particular by glass fiber-reinforced plastic supports and respective suspension means which are also secured on the bars.

When the distributor pipes require repair works, they can be dismantled only from above because of the dripping installations and then assembled again. This requires to provisionally secure them first and then to render the securement ineffective while removing the individual distributor pipes upwards between the bars. As a result, the distributor pipes need to be sized short, thereby still further increasing the complexity of disassembly and assembly with respect to the couplings between two distributor pipes.

It is further known to push the distributor pipes through holes in the bars and to couple them with one another. This means that comparably short distributor pipes are used which thus require as many coupling sites. This, too, complicates assembly and increases costs. Such bars are normally made of concrete.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the object to provide an arrangement for recooling cooling water, which ensures simpler assembly of the distributor pipes and significantly reduces labor when the distributor pipes require repair later.

This object is achieved by an arrangement for recooling cooling water, including distributor pipes supported by horizontal bars and having spray nozzles and mist collectors, wherein the bars are provided with open-topped bearing points for installation of the distributor pipes, wherein two consecutive bearing points in longitudinal direction of the bars are separated from one another by a support) for the mist collectors.

Accordingly, the bars are now provided with open-topped bearing points which preferably extend across the entire length thereof for installation of the distributor pipes. Two bearing points disposed in succession in longitudinal direction of the bars are separated from each other by a support for the mist collectors.

The invention thus enables easy installation of the distributor pipes, even at a greater number, from above into the bearing points. Coupling of the distributor pipes can be implemented while the distributor pipes are positioned in the bearing points. There is no longer a need for special auxiliary tools in order to install the distributor pipes because they are arranged horizontally and not suspended.

After all distributor pipes have been installed and coupled with one another, the mist collectors can be placed on the supports and properly secured.

In the event there is a need for repair of the distributor pipes, it is merely required to remove the surface segments of the mist collectors in the respective regions. The distributor pipes are then laid bare in the open-topped bearing points. They can then easily be removed upwards and replaced by new distributor pipes.

According to another feature of the invention, the supports form single-piece components of the bars. This is possible regardless of materials (concrete, fiber-reinforced plastic, wood, fiber cement, steel).

According to another feature of the invention, the supports can be coupled with the bars. This means, the supports and the bars are manufactured separately and detachably or non-detachably connected with one another such as to establish the bearing points.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, rails are provided atop the supports in longitudinal direction of the bars, with the rails having pocket-like receptacles for the mist collectors. Therefore, the mist collectors are placed, not directly on the supports, but on the rails extending on atop the supports. The receptacles atop the supports provide a reliable lateral guidance of the rails. The rails for receiving the mist collectors may also be a component of the mist collectors themselves. A retaining rail is hereby attached virtually to the top end or end face of the mist collector stacks to longitudinally support the mist collectors above the bars.

The rails can be made of plastic, in particular of a fiber-reinforced plastic, in particular GFRP, wood, fiber cement or steel. The cross section is suitably selected such that upwardly extending convex longitudinal beads are provided on both longitudinal edges of the rails which apart from that are configured as flat rails, for support of the mist collectors.

Taking into account that the distributor pipes are located in the bearing points of the bars, it is provided according to another feature of the invention to distance the spray nozzles from the distributor pipes by vertically extending bridging pipes for shortening the distance between the spray nozzles and the dripping installations. The bridging pipes have then a length which corresponds approximately to the vertical thickness of the bars underneath the bearing points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Exemplified embodiments of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings. It is shown in:

FIG. 1 a schematic perspective view, partly sectional, of an arrangement for recooling of cooling water;

FIG. 2 a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, through the arrangement of FIG. 1 in a plane next to the bar, according to arrow II; and

FIG. 3 a vertical cross section through the illustration of FIG. 2 along the line III-III in the direction of the arrows IIIa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

1 designates in FIG. 1 an arrangement for recooling of cooling water, as used in particular in a wet or hybrid cooling tower, not shown in greater detail, with natural ventilation or forced ventilation.

The arrangement 1 includes several vertical supports 2 as well as horizontal bars 3, 4 extending in longitudinal and transverse directions. The bars 3, as also shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, are provided with open-topped bearing points 5, which extend across their entire width B, for installation of distributor pipes 6 for cooling water to be recooled. Each two consecutive bearing points 5 in longitudinal direction of the bars 3 are separated from one another by a support 7 for mist collectors 8 which are provided above the distributor pipes 6. The mist collectors 8 are made of plastic sheets, curved in the vertical, and are subdivided into several surface segments 9. FIG. 1 involves an exploded view which depicts the mist collectors 8 at a distance to the supports 7. The broken lines indicate that a surface segment 9 extends always from bar 3 to bar 3. The supports 7 may form single-piece components of the bars 3 (FIG. 1) or may be connected with the bars 3 detachably or non-detachably (FIG. 2).

As can be seen in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, rails 11 extend atop the supports 7 in longitudinal direction of the bars 3 and have pocket-like receptacles 10 for the mist collectors 8. The rails 11 are made in this exemplified embodiment of plastic. They are predominantly configured in the form of flat rails and have longitudinal edges with upwardly projecting convex beads 12 on which the ends of the surface segments 9 of the mist collectors 8 are placed.

Located underneath the bars 3 are multilayered dripping installations 13, especially of plastic in multi-sheet or lattice construction which are placed on support rods 14. The support rods 14 are secured to the bars 3 via suspension elements 15, for example in the form of wires.

The distributor pipes 6 are provided with spray nozzles 16 and subjacent plates 17 which disperse the cooling water over a large area. In order to keep the distance between the spray nozzles 16 and the dripping installations 13 as small as possible, the spray nozzles 16 are distanced from the distributor pipes 6 by vertically extending bridging pipes 18 to account for the vertical thickness D of the bars 3 underneath the bearing points 5.

REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1—arrangement     -   2—post     -   3—bar     -   4—bar     -   5—bearing points     -   6—distributor pipes     -   7—supports     -   8—mist collector     -   9—surface segments     -   10—receptacles     -   11—rails     -   12—beads     -   13—dripping installations     -   14—support rods     -   15—suspension elements     -   16—spray nozzles     -   17—plates     -   18—bridging pipes     -   B—width of 3     -   D—thickness of 3α 

1.-5. (canceled)
 6. Arrangement for recooling cooling water, comprising: horizontal bars provided with open-topped bearing points; distributor pipes supported by the bearing points of the horizontal bars and having spray nozzles and mist collectors; and supports for underpinning the mist collectors, wherein two consecutive bearing points in longitudinal direction of the bars are separated from one another by a one of the supports.
 7. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein the supports are formed in one piece with the bars.
 8. The arrangement of claim 6, wherein the supports are constructed for coupling with the bars.
 9. The arrangement of claim 6, further comprising rails provided atop the supports in longitudinal direction of the bars, said rails having pocket-like receptacles for receiving the mist collectors.
 10. The arrangement of claim 6, further comprising vertical bridging pipes to distance the spray nozzles from the distributor pipes. 